We often forget to be grateful for some of our most innate abilities. Such as, the strength of self-expression, communicated through various art forms, and how it really sets you apart as an individual. Playing a visual ode to the art of music is director Mozez Singh’s musical drama film, Zubaan.

Starring Vicky Kaushal and Sarah Jane Dias, it is a story about discovering yourself through music. “It’s a coming of age journey of a young man from faithlessness to faith,” explains Singh.

While the songs play testimony to the movie’s real protagonist (music), we were curious to know what inspired the director to create each and every song to suit the characters and their journeys. “Sarah’s character (Amira), is a free-spirited wild child. Amira in the film has donned a crazy combination of boho meets desi meets hip-hop. She finds solace in music: it’s her end, her beginning. So we’ve had an extremely varied list of music-based fashion inspirations,” says Singh.

Here, he shares some of the pop icons and how they inspired the styling in songs from the movie:

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Song: “Music is my art”

“We all know of that glorious time when J-Lo made bandanas, cargo pants and crop tops the go-to choices. So we went ahead and did a geek fashion inspired Avengers crop top, paired with this amazing denim cargo with subtle embellishments and classic white shoes.”

Inspiration: Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani

Image: Getty

Song: “Ajj saanu”

“Iggy Azalea absolutely shone in her glimmering, glittery glory in Bounce and really took us back to the Bollywood disco era. We wanted to mix it up with the desi look, with a varied hue of colours since Sarah has not really been seen much in a desi avatar.”

“For “Kori Pukaar”, we were inspired by everything Japanese but at the same time, we didn’t want to do something overtly Japanese. A kimono was great but didn’t have the stage drama we were looking for. That’s when the tassels came in and it all fell into place beautifully. Madonna has been one of the most iconic trendsetters in the music industry and was definitely a major inspiration for this look.”

Inspiration: Madonna (in her song “Paradise (not for me)”) and Stevie Nicks

Image: Getty

Song: “Tu hai tera khuda”

“This song required a more everyday kind of look with a wee bit of grunge. Sarah’s character is dancing with her brother on stage, so it needed to have a comfortable vibe with a touch of style.”

Inspiration: Kanye West and Rihanna

Image: Getty

Song: “Dhruvtara”

“Desi-bohemian was the keyword for this song. So we found a way to make faded denims and Rajasthani mirrorwork blend into a beautiful backless outfit for Sarah, and Stevie Nicks being the queen of bohemian fashion, was a definite inspiration.”